By - Gareth Jones For fans of Nicole Holofcener, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, films set in New York, well-written comedies with emotional punch  In between directing a ton of television, Nicole Holofcener has directed eight feature films.  Her first, Walking and Talking, released in 1996 set a bit of a blueprint not only for her but many others.  It starred the always brilliant Catherine Keener, who along with Parker Posey, ruled the […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of feminist horror, Frankenstein mythology, body horror Several years ago I had a student who presented a short film to the class called Fry Day. I found it to be a very accomplished film, especially dealing with the teenage perspective and also for building an atmosphere of dread.  That film used the execution of Ted Bundy as a backdrop, but it dealt with the […]

By - Nick Adrian For fans of WWII history, Oliver Stone’s political conspiracy films, and of course - Christopher Nolan It seems like movie theaters are being taken my storm by this summer’s biggest craze: “Barbenheimer,” the double feature of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The latter, the much-anticipated biopic from one of the most successful auteurs working today, is the focus here and it’s not only the […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of WWII historical films, Brendan Gleeson, Emma Thompson, reminders of the effects of fascism, the literary work of Hans Fallada  Based on the best-seller Every Man Dies Alone by noted German author Hans Fallada, Alone in Berlin is a fascinating adaptation of a story based on true events. During World War II an older couple, Otto and Anna Quangel, lose their son in the […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Jacques Rivette, Jane Birkin, poetic and talkative cinema Jacques Rivette remains one of the titans of the French New Wave.  Along with Jean-Luc Goddard, Francois Truffaut, and Eric Rohmer, Rivette started as a writer for Cahiers Du Cinema during the late 1950’s and went on to change the way cinema was seen and made. He made epic, lengthy examinations of humanity including the […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Shinya Tsukamoto and his takes on violence and sexuality, new perspectives on the samurai genre Shinya Tsukamoto exploded into the cinematic world in 1989 with his shocking and innovative feature, Testuo: The Iron Man.  Ever since then, he has continued to push boundaries of audience expectations and tolerance for representations for violence and sexuality.  Killing is his sixteenth feature length film and his […]

By - Nick Adrian For fans of Wes Anderson, 50s sci-fi, and Wile E. Coyote/Road Runner cartoons There are only a few household name directors whose new film releases still feel like a major event, and Wes Anderson is a prime example. His unique and singular style (that’s been the source of inspiration for many a TikToker as of late - but don’t tell him that) only improves with each […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of thoughtful, sensitive, slower cinema like Minari or Moonlight or the work of Kelly Reichardt and Chloe Zhou. Stories about human connections and life changing decisions.  Elegant cinema.. I saw Past Lives for the first time at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.  It was a magical screening and I left Utah confident that this was the best film at the festival.  However, I always […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of simple, DIY documentaries, stories about underdogs and the service industry, Slacker/ films with people sitting around philosophizing I decided to write about this film after researching the amazing Yo La Tengo (who put on an astonishing show at Saturn) and discovering that James McNew had been a parking lot attendant and was interviewed throughout a documentary about parking. I immediately knew I needed […]